Gallery: First look at Sochi, host of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games

Updated 1817 GMT (0217 HKT) February 6, 2013

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Photos:Sochi, host of the 2014 Winter Olympics

Countdown to the 2014 Winter Olympics – The countdown is on. With the 2014 Olympic Winter Games due to take place from February 7-23, the Russian city of Sochi is hard at work getting its infrastructure into shape.

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Photos:Sochi, host of the 2014 Winter Olympics

Sporting future – Though better known for its palm-fringed beaches, Sochi's future as a prime sporting events destination is looking pretty good.

Located in southwest Russia on the Black Sea coast near the Georgian border, Sochi is surrounded by the Caucasus Mountains.

In addition to hosing the XXII Olympic Winter Games and the XI Paralympic Winter Games in 2014, it will also begin a stint hosting the Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix that same year.

In 2018, Sochi will be one of the FIFA World Cup host cities.

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Photos:Sochi, host of the 2014 Winter Olympics

Test run – This year, from February 1-3, the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee held three international test events at a few of its Olympic venues: the FIS Cross-Country Skiing World Cup, the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup and a stage of the Samsung ISU Short Track World Cup.

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Photos:Sochi, host of the 2014 Winter Olympics

Back in 2007, Sochi was chosen by the International Olympic Committee to be the 2014 Winter Olympics host city, beating bids from Salzburg, Austria and Pyeongchang, South Korea. The decision raised a few eyebrows as the area is not a globally well-known winter sports destination.

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Photos:Sochi, host of the 2014 Winter Olympics

Russia's first Olympic host city – When the games are over, Sochi will have the honor of being the Russian Federation's first Olympic host city. The 1980 Summer Olympic Games were held in Moscow, when Russia was part of the Soviet Union.

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Photos:Sochi, host of the 2014 Winter Olympics

Most expensive Games ever? – Sochi has also earned a more dubious honor. According the Moscow Times, the Sochi Winter Games will go down as the most expensive Olympics in history. The Times reports the cost will top 1.5 trillion rubles ($50 billion) in state and private investment, and three-quarters of that sum has already been spent. That price tag is more than 25 times higher than what Vancouver spent on its Games, held in Canada in 2010.

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Photos:Sochi, host of the 2014 Winter Olympics

Sand and snow – Unlike Vancouver, which had an unseasonably mild winter and had to import snow for its 2010 Games, the mayor of Sochi says they don't expect to see a shortage of the fluffy white stuff.

"As for the snow, there won't be any risks -- we're not even worried about it," Anatoly Pakhomov was quoted by Russian website RT.com.

"Of course, we all saw the problems in Vancouver, but we have more natural snow here in February, and every track has its own snow machine."